Facebook recently unveiled the company’s high-priced renovations made to its Menlo Park, California campus.  The social networking giant spent $250 million to enhance its one million square foot headquarters.  The objective was to create a space that reflected the culture of the company.  Without question, tech giants like Twitter and Facebook are on a mission to design “creative spaces” that will not only support their growth but provide an environment conducive to creativity for the employees.

According to Dan Fasulo, managing director of Real Capital Analytics, “A new generation of corporate leaders is looking at space-planning as a core part of business to increase productivity and keep people in the office. The old guard looked at it as an expense.”

Tech firms are thinking outside-the-box and transforming stale spaces like corridors, nooks and kitchen areas into places where workers want to linger and collaborate with colleagues.  Major cities in the US are seeing a rising demand for this type of space, including New York, Boston, San Francisco and Seattle.

Obviously, not every company can spend $250 million like Facebook on their office space but it does reinforce the role that office space has in defining a brand.

What will 2012 hold for you and your business?

Despite all the challenges businesses endured in 2011, we’d like to end the year with an upbeat message.  The double-dip recession didn’t happen.  The unemployment rate has recently dropped.  And, we are getting a sense from businesses they are more optimistic about their prospects for the New Year.

As we prepare to ring in 2012, we also want to point out strengthening workplace trends that made a difference in 2011 and will continue to influence the workplace in the New Year.   Some of the top trends for 2011 included:

Collaboration:  Working towards a common goal; exchanging ideas and collective problem solving has definitely changed how works get done.  Collaboration has also changed workplace design and will continue to for years to come.

Strong Corporate Culture:   From the bottom up and top down, successful businesses have made great strides in showing they care about their employees and customers are paying attention.

Diversity:  A growing emphasis has been placed on putting together a diverse group of people in the boardroom.

Virtual Work Relationships:  Technology has made it easy to work together regardless of time zone.  Love it or hate it, social media is changing how colleagues communicate.

The Disappearing Hierarchy:   The corner office is not as relevant as it used to be.  The shrinking workforce has eliminated layers in the workplace and fostered teamwork.

Businesses that are flexible and adaptable will certain have an advantage next year.  Here’s to continued success in 2012.

There is still room to grow in New York City – and it’s slowly happening on the West Side of Manhattan.   Immediately following New York’s defeat in its bid to host the 2012 Olympics, the fate of the Hudson Yards was not unclear.  Despite the early uncertainty a new neighborhood is starting to emerge.

Since 2005, residential buildings and new hotels have risen west of Eighth Avenue between 30^th and 43^rd Streets.  And, a boom for office space is on the horizon as well.  Related Companies, a major New York developer, announced plans to build a 51-story office tower, which luxury retailer Coach as the anchor tenant.

Development plans are so ambitious for Hudson Yards the city predicts, over the course of the next 20 years, that stretch of New York real estate could have more office space that Baltimore or Stamford, Conn. – reaching an astounding 24 million square feet of office space for the West Side.

We’ll have to see how the construction of the Far West Side progresses through these uncertain economic times.  Any economic hiccup could derail the lofty goals.

The borders around Manhattan’s central business district continue to expand, leaving businesses with more options regarding office space.  We will be following how the revitalization of this underutilized part of the city pans out.

Findings from a new study by the Kauffman Foundation on the Entrepreneurship Gender Gap reveal women only account for roughly one third of all new business launches.  Women entrepreneurs are also falling behind men when it comes to revenue generation.  Less than two percent of female-led small businesses have revenue exceeding $1 million.  In contrast, more than six percent of male-led firms reported revenue of over $1 million.

Keeping this data in mind, ForbesWoman decided to compile its first annual list of the top 20 cities for women in business.  Criteria that were taken into consideration when compiling the list included:

• What cities have seen the biggest growth in the number of female-led firm in recent years
• Where are the most SBA-backed loans going
• Where are women turning the SBA loans into million-dollar profits

At the top of the list were New York and San Francisco.  The study showed women have an easier time finding the funding and resources that can ultimately make their businesses succeed quicker.  Cities that also made the list include:  Tampa, Fla., Bethesda, Md. and Washington, D.C.

Many workers are bringing in devices from home and the IT departments are making concessions to accommodate them.   In fact, some IT departments are handing out stipends and allowing employees to buy the laptop of their choice.   Forrester Research has been tracking this growing trend and found that 48 percent of information workers buy smartphones for work without considering what their IT department support.

As companies become more lenient, management is expecting workers to be more productive as workers have the freedom to choose a device that best suits their needs.   Companies like Netflix and Kraft Foods have already implemented policies that empower workers to make their own technology choices.

“As long as they’re productive, innovative and engaged, we’re happy,” said Steve Swasey with Netflix.

Does your company allow you to pick your own devices?  Would you like to?  Let us know.

A recent Wall Street Journal article illustrates the lasting-toll the recession and economic volatility has had on small businesses and entrepreneurs.  The Journal article reports the number of start-ups has been on a downward trend for some time.

Fueled by massive layoffs, there appeared to be a burst of start-up activity during and after the 2008 recession.  But the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data shows the total number of new businesses actually declined from years past.

The article states: “In a recent report on entrepreneurship, the BLS said the number of new businesses less than a year old that existed in the year ending March 2010 ‘was lower than any other year’ since its research began in 1994. The downdraft started with the recession.”

Despite the gloom and doom, there has to be a group of intrepid entrepreneurs out there who are ready to jump in and help get us back on track.  Do you agree?  Let us know what you think.

Of the 600 human resource professionals surveyed, 77 percent of companies report that their employee offerings have been on a steady decline for the past five years.

U.S. News and World Report recently listed 21 workplace perks that are becoming a piece history for most companies.   It’s doubtful many of these benefits will be re-instated and are most likely gone forever.

Topping the list of benefits that are disappearing:

Traditional pension plans:  Today, just 22 percent of firms offer a retirement plan guaranteeing payments for life.  Historically, Americans are not good savers.  The lack of a traditional pension plan could be a major financial concern as workers map out a retirement strategy.

Retiree health care coverage:  Workers can no longer rely on their companies to provide health care coverage upon retirement. The SHRM survey revealed that only 25 percent of companies offer retiree health insurance.

Professional development:  If you are thinking about attending a conference and expect your company to foot the bill – think again.  Cutting back on professional development is an immediate way for businesses to contain costs.  On a positive note, these types of perks tend to return as economic conditions improve.

What remains to be seen is how this shift away from employee perks will impact the recruitment and retention of top workers going forward

Productivity among nonfarm workers rose at a 1.8% annual rate in the first quarter of 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.  While workers may be performing at high levels, there’s always room for improvement.  Here are some easy-to-implement suggestions that can maximize time spent at work:

Reduce time spent on email:  A survey by online market research firm, uSamp revealed 53% of workers squander at least one hour a day because of distractions such as email.

Meeting Management:  Really think about who needs to be present at the next meeting.   Could employee time be better spent doing something else?  And, if a meeting is necessary, be respectful and end on time.

Reduce interruptions:  It sounds obvious, but the more consistent time spent uninterrupted increases a worker’s performance.

Work environment:  Select a workspace that is conducive to your needs.  The right design, location and available amenities will impact how quickly and efficiently you get your work done.

Do you dread your commute?

Lengthy commutes to work are taking a toll on U.S. workers.  So much so that a recent survey showed that four percent or five million people have skipped work by pretending to be ill to avoid their harrowing commute into the office.

The study was commissioned by the Workforce Institute at Kronos and conducted by Harris Interactive.  Not surprising, nearly half of U.S. employees polled said commuting is affecting their overall job satisfaction.  And, despite the unemployed who are desperate for work regardless of location, 32 percent of workers said they factored in their commute when choosing their current job.

Long commutes are impacting the productivity and morale of today’s professionals because it consumes valuable time – time which could be spent actually doing work or with their families.  Given the access to remote technology, businesses should consider being open to workplace alternatives for employees – at least some of the time.   The fact of the matter is the growing number of mobile workers and the variety of workplace options has transformed how work gets done.

Remote access apps for mobile devices like the iPad2 are allowing workers to tap into their desktop files from anywhere in the world.  While this is not necessarily new technology it is being embraced at a more rapid pace.  Mobile workers continue to use a variety of devices aside from their laptops/desktops and they are constantly seeking out new tools that will keep them productive, no matter what device they use.

Let us know what you do to be more productive when you are traveling or away from the office.